


The Only Surprise

by afterandalasia



Series: Disney Hunger Games [2]
Category: Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Behind the Scenes, Careers (Hunger Games), Dysfunctional Relationships, Dystopia, F/M, Outtakes, Villains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-28
Updated: 2013-02-28
Packaged: 2017-12-03 22:05:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/703125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afterandalasia/pseuds/afterandalasia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Missing scene from Ab Extra, Salus. Maleficent was disappointed in her fellow Career for not volunteering alongside her at the Reaping, but she supposed that he had his reasons. Their twisted relationship wasn't supposed to end this easily.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Only Surprise

"You know, I wasn't sure that you'd show your face."

Diablo didn't look angry at her accusatory words, of course, but he did not look amused in the way that she would have expected. Maleficent crossed her arms across her chest and tossed back her hair, fixing cool eyes on him. A glittering black gaze returned her stare.

"After all," she continued coolly, "you've gone and missed your last chance now. Off to the Corps it will be."

In fact, Diablo was downright scowling. Looking more closely, she realised as well that there were shadows around his eyes that looked less like makeup and more like bruising, and that the bridge of his nose was swollen. It would not be noticeable to someone that did not know him as well as she did, but having trained with him for twelve years and slept with him for nearly two, it was unmissable.

"You've been in a fight."

He reached up to touch the bridge of his nose self-consciously. It was quite common, of course, for trainees to sustain injuries over the years. Broken bones, even. She had seen more than one possible tribute drop out of the system because they taken too hard a hit -- one broken femur, some years ago, and another girl who had lost an eye. It was not supposed to be easy. For those who were in the pool to volunteer, though, training was scaled back in the last two weeks so that cosmetic work could be completed and they would be fine for the cameras.

"Fa Ping's bitch sister," Diablo spat. Well, that explained it. "We fought yesterday."

"And she broke your nose." Maleficent shook her head impatiently. "She's supposed to be two years behind us."

They were the _best_. She and Diablo had been ready to storm into the Capitol hand-in-hand, ready to take on and take over the Arena. Each had been top of their years since they had first tested at age eleven, and had been chosen as tributes almost a year ago.

When Diablo's hand moved away, it took a smear of makeup with it. Clearly they hadn't bothered with fixing it just for the Reaping. Beneath, his nose was reddish-purple, near-black visible around one eye.

"I always told you to keep an eye out for her. If I'd been allowed to bet on the Seventy-Sixth games this far in advance..."

She allowed the words to trail off, taunting him, and tilted her chin. Whenever they sparred, that was his cue to attack, but they both knew that he could not this time and it frustrated him.

"Bitch," he said, but it was almost fond. He had a smile on his face, though it looked a little twisted still.

"Is that why you didn't volunteer for her brother, then?"

At that, Diablo laughed, a harsh caw of sound that snagged on the plush floors and painted walls of the room. "Yes, I thought it appropriate. A pity that I couldn't see her face when his name was called."

"I'm surprised that she didn't fight out of the crowd," admitted Maleficent with a smile. She could imagine that of Mulan, getting into a fight on live national television, all for the sake of the brother she was obsessed with. There was something strange about them, always had been. In the Capitol, she'd heard of that kind of thing, but Maleficent was above starting rumours no matter how delicious they were.

Diablo shrugged, then paused for a moment, his eyes lingering on her face. They hadn't seen each other for a few days, and the last of her cosmetic alterations had been tweaked in that time. Slightly larger breasts, slightly redder lips, tattooed liner around her eyes that would not fade with the games. A couple of faint scars had been given a final polish, her hair treated against grease. "Your final work suits you," was all he said.

"Likewise." Diablo's nose had been operated on years ago to even out his features to Capitol standards, his eyes given a more almond-shaped appearance. The last few touches had been put to his hairline, and his rolled-up sleeves revealed that the fat had been taken off his biceps to define them more strongly. Maleficent dropped one hand to her hip, allowing her posture to soften, and tilted her head. "A pity that we'll never get to give them the show that we were meant to," she said.

The Capitol had the same drives as the Districts - action, romance, hunger, anything - but intensified, it seemed. Action became the Hunger Games. Romance became orgies, prostitution, anything. Hunger became feasts. Capitol One had long since found that, with eighteen-year-old Tributes well aware of the prostitution that awaited them were they to win, it was not difficult to find ones willing to have sex in the Arena for the titillation of the cameras.

"Hmm." Diablo reached out and ran one hand down the line of Maleficent's cheek, down her neck, and she lowered her eyes to watch his fingers slide down and squeeze her breast. She and Diablo would have been glorious on screen, she was sure. "Were you planning to kill me during?"

"Oh no," she laughed softly. "I was going to wait until after."

She grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him in to kiss him, forcefully, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. He was used to that, and bit her in response, so that she drew away laughing still. Her lips were blood red against her skin.

"Kill that little bastard for me, will you?" he said, reaching up to run one hand through her hair. Maleficent tilted her head back as his hand moved, making a little purring sound in her throat. "Good and bloody on the screens."

"Just for you," she replied.

He kissed her throat, once, so lightly that it was barely more than a touch of his lips, then released her and left. Maleficent laughed into the quiet of the room, and went to recline on one of the couches that was there. After all, the rest of her goodbyes had been done long ago, when she had known that she was going into the Arena. Fa Ping's name being drawn was the only surprise that this year had to hold for her; all that she had to do now was make her mark.


End file.
